And gone to my room…
But the night was far from being over.
“We need a better plan,” Noah said.
“There is no better plan,” Xavier said.
“How much money is in here?” Easton asked as he looked in the bag again.
“Stop eye fucking the money,” Noah said. “You’re acting like a Troc.” He looked at Gia. “No offense.”
“I don’t like you,” Gia said.
“My heart is broken,” Noah said.
“Can we focus?” I asked. “We all show up and make it clear we all know what’s going on. It’s simple. If they want to mess around, we’ll do it too. Caroline threatened me about Aldrich. She’s nervous. We open the bag of money and show her and my father it’s real. Then someone gets Talon. We make sure it’s him and he’s okay. And that’s it.”
“That simple?” Noah asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Trust me. They’re both nervous. They weren’t expecting us.”
“You mean you,” Xavier said. “This is your show now, Winter.”
“We’re just part of it,” Easton said. “Helping. For free.”
“You need money?” I asked.
Easton grinned. “I’ll take payment in another form.”
Xavier lunged for Easton.
Easton ran around the kitchen island and hid behind Gia.
“Save me, Gia,” Easton whispered.
“Get away from me,” Gia said.
“Hey, if Talon is gone, you and I could hook up, right?” Easton asked.
“Why the hell would you say something like that?” I asked.
Gia kicked back at Easton and he had to jump out of the way.
Xavier punched the counter. “Can we just focus here?”
“Hey, according to Winter, this is simple, right?” Noah asked.
“Don’t be an asshole,” Gia said. “I trust Winter with my life.”
“I do too,” Xavier said.
“I have to say something,” Noah said. “You put your daggers away.” He pointed to Gia. “And you put your fists away.” He pointed to Xavier. “This is real. We have never given a damn about Trocs before. Now we do?”
“Just one Troc,” I said.
“Still. That’s one too many if you ask me.”
“Things change, Noah,” Xavier said.
“If you weren’t with Winter, would we care?” Noah asked.
“What the fuck does that matter?” Easton asked. “Xavier is with Winter. Gia is with Talon. Gia is Xavier’s sister. It all mixes together. We need to focus on what’s real.”
“Easton is right,” Xavier said.
“Okay,” Noah said. “And if things go wrong?”
“Then we walk away,” Gia said.
We all looked at her.
“What?” I asked.
“We walk away,” Gia said. “If it’s a set up or a scam. We walk away.”
“Gia…”
“I’m serious,” she said. “I’ll respect what it means to be a Bump against a Troc.”
“Damn,” Noah said. “I think I might respect you now.”
“I still don’t like you,” Gia said to him.
“Okay, so what do we do now?” Easton asked.
“We meet at the spot where I had my accident,” I said.
“With the bag of money,” Easton said.
Noah shook his head as he stared at the bag. “It was supposed to be ours.”
“There are other ways,” Xavier said. “We just have to get through this first.”
Noah walked away.
“Noah,” I called out.
“Let him have a minute,” Xavier said. “He’ll be okay.”
“I’m getting a drink,” Easton said. “I need to clear my head.”
“And drinking clears your head?” Gia asked.
“Drinking or taking a pretty girl like you into the backseat of my car,” he said.
“Then get a drink,” Gia said.
She rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen.
I looked at Xavier.
He reached for my hand.
We shook our heads.
Then we smiled.
Our families were broken.
Our lives were a mess.
And we were going to risk our lives for a freaking Troc.
Chapter 21
The Last Laugh
I drove Tank Two down the same road where Tank met its fate.
I thought about that night.
Going back to the shop to spy on the guys as they talked. My plan had been to figure out what they were thinking and saying so I could find the right time to take the money and leave. I wasn’t actually there for fear of my life. It was me being the horrible bitch I was. Looking to screw them over as much as I could.
When I heard them start to talk about possibly hurting me, I left to hurry back to the castle so I could collect the money and leave. Truthfully, I was going to show up to my mother’s house. I knew where she was living and how to find her. She would have been the only one to understand what I was going through.
But as I drove that night… Tank became something else.
The steering. The brakes. The gas.
Everything had been messed with.
And here I thought it had been Xavier.
That he somehow tinkered with Tank…
It was my own father.
Which made more sense in a really sad way.
He knew how to create, build, fix, and tinker with anything.
That also meant he and Caroline had been following me.
They waited for the right time to strike and…
“Right there,” I said and pointed. “That’s the tree I hit. Right about here was when the steering wheel locked up.”
“And there’s nothing I can do about it?” Xavier asked.
“No,” I said. “Trust me. Just let it all go.”
Xavier shook his head.
I slowly pulled Tank Two to the side of the road and stopped.
We all exited Tank Two and I left the engine running, just in case something went wrong.
Easton lit a cigarette.
Gia couldn’t stop pacing.
Noah stood with his arms crossed, ready for whatever was coming.
Xavier kept a hand on my back.
He didn’t speak.
Which was good.
I didn’t need to hear any words.
I just needed this all to end.
Headlights climbed from the horizon and I took a deep breath.
It was time.
The large SUV came to a stop.
My father and Easton’s mother got out.
Easton’s face looked sad and hurt.
“Mom,” he said.
“Easton,” she said.
“You’re banging an inventor?” Easton asked.
“Yeah, I am,” she said. “Don’t tell your father, okay?”
Easton showed his hands. “My mouth is shut. Just as long as you have our guy.”
“I can’t believe my son is so worried about a Troc,” she said. “I feel as though I’ve let you down.”
“Do you have the money, Winter?” Dad asked.
He wasn’t here to make small talk at all.
“I do,” I said. “Show us Talon.”
Dad opened the back door and when I saw Talon, I sighed with relief.
Gia let out a whimpering kind of yell and tried to run forward.
Easton stopped her. “Not yet.”
“Talon,” Gia said.
“I’m good, darling,” Talon called out. “These Bumps fed me quite well.”
“We’re not here to make enemies,” Caroline said. “We just want what’s ours.”
“So do we,” Noah said. “But first… my father?”
“Stop it,” Caroline said. “You think you know what you’re talking about but you don’t. Just stay where you are. Let it all play out. You’re all going to be fine. This is personal with us.”
“Ju
st get the money,” I said to Xavier. “I want to get out of here.” I looked at Dad. “I never want to talk to you again. Or see you.”
“I expected that,” he said to me. “We’ll work on it later, Winter.”
“No, we won’t.”
“So you’re going to live with your mother? That’s ironic.”
“You just enjoy your new life,” I said.
Xavier brought the bag of money from Tank Two.
He unzipped it and showed it to Dad.
Dad nodded to Caroline.
She nodded to Dad.
“Get out of here,” Dad say to Talon.
Talon ran right to Gia.
She jumped into his arms and they spun around, hugging and kissing.
Dad ripped the bag out of Xavier’s hand and dug through it.
“Now what?” I asked.
Dad zipped the bag. “Now I’m going on vacation. A long vacation. With the woman I love.”
“Easton, tell your father I’ll call him eventually,” Caroline said.
She stared to laugh.
Dad laughed too.
They walked back to their SUV, got inside and sped away.
Then everything became silent.
Easton looked hurt.
Noah looked disappointed.
Talon and Gia were in a full blown make out session.
Xavier was angry.
He wanted to attack.
I told him not to.
“Well, you were right,” Noah said without looking at me. “It was that easy.”
“I told you so,” I said.
“Now what do we do?” Easton asked.
“We get a new plan together,” I said. “Before that, we get out of here. I never want to see this road again.”
“Hey, Troc,” Xavier called out. “Take your tongue out of my sister’s mouth and get in.”
Gia and Talon were the only two in good moods.
I got behind the wheel of Tank Two and thought for a second.
“There’s something else we have to do,” I said.
“What?” Xavier asked.
“Just trust me… you’ll see soon enough.”
I drove to the BFH parking lot.
“What the hell are we doing here?” Noah asked.
“We have to talk,” I said. “About some stuff.”
“Here?” Easton asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
I parked at the far end of the lot.
The building was just a looming shadow in the distance.
I sat in the glow of the dashboard lights and turned to look at the backseat.
In the third row, Gia and Talon were kissing again.
I clapped my hands together to get their attention.
“Save it for later,” I said. “We have to talk.”
“Are you going to pay me for the work I did?” Talon asked. “I should add a kidnapping charge to it too.”
“We just gave up a lot of money to save you,” Noah said.
“We’ll call it even,” Easton added.
“Fair enough,” Gia cut in.
“I don’t work for free,” Talon said.
“Want to go back where you just came from?” Xavier asked.
“It wasn’t bad. They made me sit in a bedroom. With food. Drinks. TV. It was like a vacation.”
“Well, it’s done now,” I said. “And we need a new plan.”
“So you came here to do that?” Noah asked.
“We’re including the Troc in our plan now?” Easton asked.
“He’s been part of this for a while,” I said. “Everyone get out of Tank Two. Right now.”
They all listened.
“What is this?” Xavier asked as he touched my hand.
“You’ll see,” I said.
We stood outside Tank Two.
“Okay,” I said. “Here’s what I have to say. BFH is dead to me. I’m never going back in that building again. It’s over. It’s done. On top of that, I’m sorry to everyone here. I’m sorry for who I was. Gia, I’m sorry I was a bitch to you. I wish you and I had been best friends all my life. Talon… maybe I’m not so sorry to you. Since you were such an asshole to me. But I’m happy you have Gia.”
“I’ll never forget our time together,” he said with a smile.
I looked at Easton. “I’m sorry your backseat story wasn’t true.”
Easton touched his head. “Up here, it’s all true, Winter.”
“Noah, I’m sorry for leading you on. You’re a good guy. I should have never done that to you.”
Noah nodded.
I looked at Xavier. “And I’m sorry that you fell in love with me. I’m cranky. I’m moody. I’m sometimes insane. And I’m not going to stop being that way ever.”
“I can handle it,” Xavier said.
“Okay, what is this?” Easton asked. “Enough with the mushy speech.”
“I’m with him,” Talon said. “I want to get Gia back home. I need to check her bedroom for monsters.”
“Stop talking that way in front of me,” Xavier said to Talon. “She’s my sister. I don’t want to hear that. I don’t want to think it either.”
“Then get your girl to get us home,” Talon said.
Xavier looked at me. “Winter…”
“Okay, okay,” I said. “Fine. I wanted this to be… whatever.”
I pushed Xavier out of the way and walked to the back of Tank Two.
I opened the cargo door and lifted the mat.
That’s where the tools were to change a flat tire.
It made me think of the night I met Talon.
When he took the tire iron to Noah’s car.
It had been quite the adventure for all of us.
“The reason why I’ve been so calm about this…,” I said with a smile. “I told you my father and Caroline were nervous. They have a lot going on. Big risks. No room for error. And they just wanted the money. They got the money. Most of it.”
I pulled the mat away and pointed.
“What the fuck…,” Noah said.
“They never counted the money,” I said. “I asked them how much they had and they had no idea. So what’s a couple bucks missing, right?”
“Winter, what did you do?” Gia asked.
“What I started out to do,” I said. “I stole some money so we all could start over.”
“This is insane,” Easton said. “I love it.”
“Winter, we can think of something else,” Xavier said. “If they count the money and-”
“Trust me,” I said. “They have no idea about this.”
Everyone looked down at the massive amount of money.
How much was it?
Easily well into the seven-figure range.
Was it really enough for all of us to run away with and start new lives?
No.
But it was enough to hide and enjoy.
It was a middle finger to everyone who tried to hurt us.
“Fuck,” Talon said. “Are you sure you’re not a Troc, darling?”
“You know what?” I asked. “I’m not a Troc. I’m not a Bump either. I’m Winter. Winter fucking Seacrum.”
“Winter fucking Seacrum,” Gia said.
Xavier slid his arm around my side and pulled me close.
He kissed the top of my head.
“You know just how crazy this is, right?” he asked me.
“Oh, I do,” I said. “Are you sure you can handle this kind of crazy?”
Xavier looked down at me and smiled. He kissed me instead of answering.
“Hey, I have a question for you,” he whispered.
“What?” I asked.
“My hoodie. Remember the night I gave it to you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Do you still have my hoodie?”
“Yeah. Why? Do you want it back?”
Xavier shook his head. “I was thinking maybe you should keep it. Forever. Just in case.”
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him clos
er to me.
I leaned back and put my hand down into the back of Tank Two.
I touched the money.
Xavier kissed me.
I had dirty money, a bad boy, and his favorite hoodie.
What more could I ever ask for in my life?
Chapter 22
Yes, it’s the end
Xavier lifted the comforter and he crashed down to the bed, on top of me, making a small bubble tent with the comforter.
“Now you’re all mine,” he whispered.
I laughed as he started to kiss my neck.
The comforter slowly fell down to his back.
A few seconds later we were out of fresh air.
It was just our breaths. All entangled.
Him kissing from one side of my neck to the other.
Me curling my toes tight, waiting for him to make his next move.
Not like we hadn’t stayed up way too late the night before fooling around either.
When Xavier said we were taking a few days to ourselves, he definitely meant it.
Outside of the comforter it was daylight out.
I wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but it was well past noon.
Our schedule was backward and messed up. And I knew it couldn’t last forever. Soon enough we’d have to make some kind of decision on what we wanted to do.
Right now, the only decision was… to get Xavier inside me again.
I wrapped my legs around his body and pulled at him.
“Hey, wait a second,” he whispered to me.
“Nope. I want it now.”
“Since when did you get so greedy?” Xavier asked.
“Just shut up and do it.”
“You mean do you?”
Xavier lifted his head and looked at me.
“So funny,” I whispered.
He brushed his lips to mine.
His right hand slipped between my legs and I sucked in a breath.
I forgot how to exhale that same breath as I waited for him to…
I heard a knock at the door.
“Someone’s at the fucking door,” Xavier said.
“I can hear,” I said.
I pushed Xavier off me and rolled to my side.
I stared at the door.
The knocking repeated a second time.
“Stay here,” I said to Xavier.
I hurried out of bed and grabbed Xavier’s hoodie off the floor.
That was all I wore as I walked to the bedroom door and ripped it open.
Devious Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 3) Page 20